Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Zoonoses diseases transmitted from animals to humans are increasingly being recognized as emerging or re-emerging disease threats to public health. This course will explore the interactions between physicians veterinarians and public health professionals; provide an understanding of the public health consequences of these diseases; and explore preventive measures. Finally we will set the framework for discussions of agents of bioterrorism and the public health response to these threats. The course attracts top speakers from across the country in the fields of public health infectious diseases veterinary medicine and the biomedical sciences. Pre-requisite: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
What can history tell us about the current state of public health in the United States? This overview of the history of public health will examine evolving notions of a healthy public. Looking at the underlying social political and cultural structures that aid hinder and shape the public health mission it will place the history of public health in the context of the larger histories of medicine the nation and the world. Several disease case studies will be looked at in detail to provide insight into the factors that go into successful--and unsuccessful--public health movements. The course will conclude with a look at recent public health crises to understand them within the context of global history.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse and queer + identified (LGB/TGD/Q+) people have made considerable progress in securing equal rights, from open military service to marriage equality. Polling data indicates the general public has increasingly positive views of LGBTQI civil rights. Despite this, LGB/TGD/Q+ persons still face discrimination, stigma and exclusion in many policy arenas and significant health disparities. Development of an evidence base for LGB/TGD/Q+ health interventions remains in critical need of more dedicated efforts. This course reviews the demographics and diversity of LGB/TGD/Q+ populations; advances and gaps in LGB/TGD/Q+ health knowledge and research; and policies and strategies in public health practice towards achieving fuller health equity for LGB/TGD/Q+ persons.
Pre-requisites: MPH0001 Introduction to Public Health or MPH0700 Introduction to Global Health
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
This weekly seminar focuses on current local, national, and international issues in public health and preventive medicine. Discussions center on critical review of new published literature in public health and include topics related to health policy, economic and legal issues, and the impact of these issues on the health of populations. There will be didactics on public health ethics, risk communications and preventive medicine research as well as critical review of enrolled student research or theses. On a rotating basis, each student is responsible for setting the agenda and chairing seminar discussions.
Pre-requisites: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Students who are not Residents in the Department of Preventive Medicine must receive permission from Course Director prior to enrolling in this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
This seminar is designed for second year students who will be completing Culminating Experience (thesis manuscript or capstone). These works are more than a paper - They are major independent projects that requires you to design implement and present professional work of public health significance. This course will help you design your Culminating Experience start writing and give and receive feedback from peers. The course is heavily interactive. We will work with materials provided primarily by the students. By the end of the term you should be ready to complete your Culminating Experience. This course is the prerequisite for registering for MPH0099 Thesis. Pre-requisites: Students must have completed MPH0320 Research Methods. Students must have their Thesis Proposal Outline completed and their Statement of Thesis Support submitted to the Program Office before registering for this course.
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 2
The Practicum experience provides the student with an exciting opportunity to implement and practice lessons learned in the classroom offering the possibility to integrate knowledge and expose the student to new and exciting prospects for future professional development. The Practicum (Applied Practice Experience) Proposal must be submitted to the Office of Public Health Practice for approval prior to the start of the practicum. Students who matriculated prior to Fall 2017 will register for MPH0090 to satisfy the fieldwork requirement. Pre-requisite: Practicum Proposal, Students should complete at least 15 credits of MPH coursework before starting the Practicum.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
For students who matriculated in or after Fall 2017 The Applied Practice Experience provides the student with an opportunity to translate theory into practice within a public health setting. The Applied Practice Experience Proposal must be submitted to the Office of Public Health Practice for approval prior to the beginning the experience. Students who matriculated in the Fall 2017 term or later will register for MPH0092 to satisfy the fieldwork requirement. Pre-requisites:Applied Practice Experience Proposal; Students should complete at least 15 credits of MPH coursework before starting the Practicum.
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Spring 2
An Independent Study is an elective option providing the student with an opportunity to delve more thoroughly into an area of public health of specific interest to him/her. An Independent Study Proposal should be submitted at least six weeks prior to the anticipated start of the proposed project/course of study. This is to ensure that the goals meet the overall objectives of the Master of Public Health Program before a student commits any time and energy. Approval when granted is conditional upon the student completing all of the outlined requirements. The student must submit a Postscript Report and request that the faculty sponsoring the Independent Study complete the Evaluation Form. Final credits are awarded at the end of the project by approval of the Program Director. Three credits are the maximum number of credits that may be awarded to any Independent Study. One credit represents approximately 45 hours of work. Please note that students will not receive any more than three credits for one project/course of study. Each student may complete no more than two independent study projects. An Independent Study must be a unique experience. Material covered during an independent study project should be highly targeted and not simply a review of the regularly offered coursework. Independent study projects should not be attempts to take MPH courses that are offered routinely during the academic year. Students should not expect an Independent Study project to exempt them from required courses without approval by the Specialty Track Advisor and the Program Director. Please see the Student Handbook for the full policy and procedures associated with the Independent Study option.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Students who are completing a First Author Manuscript or Capstone should register for MPH0097 Culminating Experience (students who are completing a Master’s Thesis should register for MPH0099 only). Students register for their Culminating Experience in their last term before degree conferral while preparing to submit their First Author Manuscript or Capstone. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 2
Students who have previously registered for the required credits for the MPH Culminating Experience and who are approved by the Program to complete the MPH Culminating Experience in a full time manner in the last term of their attendance at ISMMS may register for 0 credits of MPH0098 Project Continuation. Registration is granted to students upon review of academic progress and approval by the Graduate Program in Public Health. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Students who are completing a Master’s Thesis should register for MPH0099 in their last term before degree conferral while preparing to submit their Thesis. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Why did U.S. health reform pass in 2010 when historically large scale reform of this magnitude has been blocked? How will the states implement health reform and will it be defeated through a constitutional challenge? Why is HIV prioritized over other health areas even though the global burden is lower than other diseases? How are new public-private partnerships transforming the financing of health systems? This course aims to assist students in understanding how political processes shape health policy and health outcomes both domestically and internationally. Through an introduction to theoretical and applied concepts in public policy and political science students will learn how to assess the political feasibility of different health policy options and how to craft persuasive policy briefs targeting decision makers at all levels of government. In addition to theoretical material the course will draw on insights from a concrete set of case studies across a variety of health policy topics including: the politics of health reform in the U.S. global health agenda setting and health system strengthening in developing countries among other topics.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
A major focus of this class is on understanding how community life and health are related. Students will learn how to analyze communities compare data regarding the health status of communities and to compare selected communities to each other. Case material will be used to emphasize the multiple ways one can assist communities as a whole and those at risk for health problems. Exemplars will be offered by guest lecturers involved in community change. Social and economic factors will be identified that affect community health status.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Financial statements enable managers to evaluate the performance of an organization and assess its financial position. Budgets based on forecasts take the form of projected statements and serve as an important managerial tool for planning and control purposes. This course provides an introduction the accounting budgeting and financial reporting techniques commonly used in the health care and not-for-profit environment. Emphasis is placed on enabling students to become comfortable with financial analysis budgets and commonly-used financial terminology so that they can effectively address financial matters they will encounter in leadership roles in health care and not-for-profit organizations.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Why is Gilead Science’s Hepatitis C pill (Sovaldi) so expensive ($84000 per course of therapy about $1000 a pill) and is its approximately 90% cure rate worth the cost? US FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recently (WSJ 8.25.18) commented on the difficulty in valuing curative therapies. How important is cost in health policy decisions? Why are pharmaceutical companies more and more developing “orphan” drugs that is drugs for rare diseases. In the current healthcare environment in the US there is rationing of healthcare often not on an objective basis. What makes a medication or device cost-effective or not? Authorities in many countries are using cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) to make reimbursement decisions and cost of treatments and diagnostics are being hotly debated. Why are there major initiatives afoot even in U.S. medical societies (i.e. American College of Cardiology American Society of Clinical Oncology) to incorporate cost-effectiveness (“value”) into medical decision-making? How are these analyses being done? Learn the principles of CEA get hands-on experience and tutorials with software often used watch excerpts of debates about making Hepatitis C treatments available in California Medicaid and other markets. Hear a key pharmaceutical company researcher discuss his challenges in use of CEA in the fragmented US healthcare coverage environment see user-friendly computer programs that have been developed based on these analyses and debate the use of CEA in making life-or-death reimbursement decisions. This introductory course focuses on the concepts and principles of pharmacoeconomics with particular emphasis on modeling methodologies and data sources. Students will learn about the international use of pharmacoeconomics in drug regulation pricing and reimbursement. Examples of pharmacoeconomic models will illustrate the theoretical lessons.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Biomedicine is defined as the medical science that applies biological and physiological principles in clinical practice to cure patients from disease. For biomedicine the cause of sickness is found at the cellular level-- that is when a pathogen or germ alters the natural balance of the organism. To restore health is to trace and eradicate the physiological entity affecting the organism. In Western societies this scientific understanding of disease is not only at the core of biomedical practice but also of people’s imagination. To enter as a patient in the realm of biomedicine is to enter the realm of science factuality and expert knowledge. Because scientific practice deals with “Nature” science is not only perceived as objective but as removed from culture. This course will attempt to reveal biomedicine as a cultural system. See the Public Health Curriculum Guide for a complete description of the aims of this course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
The issue of health literacy is critically important to the development of effective health communication strategies and outreach. National evaluations of literacy have raised serious concerns about the ability of nearly half the U.S. adult population to access understand and apply health communication messages (NAAL 2003) including those messages found in health information related to health care services and exchanged during health provider/patient interaction. This course explores the link between literacy and health in the US and how poor health literacy impacts accessing understanding and applying health communication messages. Course participants will learn how to take health literacy into account in their work as public health practitioners by understanding the consequences of low health literacy in health outcomes conducting health literacy loads of spoken and written material and developing skills to communicate health more effectively across a variety of settings and contexts.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Health promotion is the practice of educating equipping and empowering individuals with the information and resources they need to fight disease. It is the process of empowering people to increase control over their health and its determinants through health literacy efforts and multi-sectoral action to increase healthy behaviors. This includes activities focused on individual behavior as well as a wide range of social and environmental interventions. Increasingly lifestyle strategies such as whole food plant-based diet exercise stress management tobacco and alcohol cessation and other non-drug modalities are being used to prevent treat and reverse chronic disease. This course offers the knowledge and skills recommended by a national panel of representatives from physician and health professional organizations as the basis for providing quality health promotion in lifestyle medicine services. The course provides basic grounding the field of health promotion and disease prevention via lifestyle medicine and focuses on practice skills for public health professionals.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
Research Methods encompasses a set of fundamental skills and tools necessary for approaching the process of developing and answering a research question being a future investigator or an informed consumer of information in the marketplace. This course provides a solid and practical framework enabling students to successfully embark upon their Culminating Experience. As a prerequisite in the conduct of research it prepares students to conceptualize propose design and write research papers in general.Topics covered include the characteristics of a research study formulating a research question experimental research designs survey construction data analysis and interpretation and evaluation of research. Also addressed are strategies for conducting literature searches research ethics informed consent and elements of a research proposal. Students will be required to complete IRB training HIPPA training data security training and outline a research proposal for their Culminating Experience project by the end of this course.Full time students are required to take this course in the Spring II Term of their first year in the Master of Public Health Program. The course is only open to matriculated students in the Master of Public Health Program. This course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Recommended Pre-requisites: MPH0001 Introduction to Public Health or MPH0700 Introduction to Global Health
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course covers two broad components of infectious disease epidemiology: the methods used for the investigation of the etiology and distribution of infectious diseases, and a review of infectious diseases of major public health significance. By the end of this course students should have a thorough understanding of the both the practice of infectious disease epidemiology and the current and emerging global burden of infectious disease.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
This intermediate level Journal Club builds upon the Introductory Journal Club, training students in the presentation of articles relevant to the public health specialties of environmental, occupational and preventive medicine. Each student will be assigned a week to be responsible for selecting and presenting an article relevant to their area of specialization. The student may decide to invite a Mount Sinai faculty expert in the particular topic to provide additional commentary on the article. Prior to class, all students are required to read the article and complete a short critique form. All students are expected to participate in class discussions.
Pre-requisites: MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics or MPH0800 Advanced Introduction to Biostatistics MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology
Students must be currently licensed health professionals, however if they are not currently licensed they must obtain the approval of the Course Director to enroll. The Club meets once a month for the academic year. This course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Epidemiology III will cover the theoretical and practical considerations of analysis and interpretation of data generated from epidemiologic studies. Through lectures and guided analysis of epidemiologic datasets, students will learn the analytic approaches and modelling techniques used to investigate exposure-disease relationships within various epidemiologic study designs. This course will also include more advanced topics such as mediation analysis and the use of sensitivity analyses to quantify the impact of potential biases. As part of this course, students will perform an independent analysis of epidemiologic data to demonstrate mastery of the presented content. Students can use any statistical software they prefer for assignments, but all course examples, sample code and programming support will be provided using SAS only.
Pre-requisite: MPH0412 Epidemiology II
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring 2
This course aims to help the MS in Epidemiology students develop effective written and oral scientific communications from their Culminating Experience. The course is divided into three main sections that cover the creation of effective (A) scientific posters, (B) written communications in format of a scientific manuscript or a thesis, and (C) oral presentations of an epidemiology project. This is a highly interactive student-centered and student-led course. We will work in class with materials provided primarily by the students, including student poster, manuscript/thesis and oral presentation drafts. All students will be required to give and receive constructive feedback from other peers on how to improve their written and oral communications based on what they have learned in class. Students must have their Culminating Experience Proposal Outline signed by their faculty advisor and submitted to the Program Office before the first day of class and are strongly encouraged to write as much of their Culminating Experience materials as possible during this course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Omics is an emerging multidisciplinary and rapidly evolving field that has started to impact both clinical practice and public health and holds promise to significantly improve precision medicine. Omics encompasses many molecular biology domains including genomics epigenomics transcriptomics proteomics metabolomics and exposomics. These molecular domains can offer a more nuanced perspective on how multiple exposures (e.g. environmental lifestyle social factors) affect health compared with traditional research approaches. However omics datasets are large (tens of thousands of variables or more) resulting in analytical challenges that require adaptation of existing epidemiology designs and methods. This course will provide an overview of omics research areas and applications latest omics epidemiology advances and hands-on training in big omics data analysis. Pre-requisite: MPH0412 Epidemiology II MPH0812 Applied Linear Models I
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course provides an introduction to the major concepts in toxicology with particular emphasis on agents with public health relevance including metals pesticides air pollution drugs of abuse medication and stress. The curriculum is designed to make toxicology accessible to students with broad scientific backgrounds including those outside of the biological science disciplines. Students will learn the basic principles of toxicology as well as review target organs systems contaminants and mechanisms of actions of certain classes of compounds. Specific target organ toxicities will include hepatic renal cardiovascular pulmonary neuronal developmental reproductive and endocrine systems. We will use in-class exercises and small groups to discuss recent publications apply concepts and understand the current knowledge of specific toxicological agents and their effects. This course is designed to present toxicology as an interdisciplinary science in public health.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Life expectancy on the Upper East Side is 86 years compared to 77 years in East Harlem. Why should this be? This course introduces the learner to the root causes of health disparities confronting resource-poor communities, with particular focuses on children, the environment, and social determinants of health (SDHs).
We cover topics ranging from chemical exposures; qualities of the built environment; the health effects of climate change; and the mechanisms of toxic stress and epigenetics. We cover basic principles of exposure assessment; skills in pediatric environmental exposure history taking; and the adverse effects of environmental exposures on child neurodevelopment. Students learn how to design risk communication strategies for environmental exposures targeted to a specific group of children, access pediatric health reference material, apply state-of-the-art clinical evidence in the formulation of public health policy, and advocate for child health. The course format is participatory, and includes discussing peer-reviewed literature, lectures and clinical case scenarios.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Zoonoses diseases transmitted from animals to humans are increasingly being recognized as emerging or re-emerging disease threats to public health. This course will explore the interactions between physicians veterinarians and public health professionals; provide an understanding of the public health consequences of these diseases; and explore preventive measures. Finally we will set the framework for discussions of agents of bioterrorism and the public health response to these threats. The course attracts top speakers from across the country in the fields of public health infectious diseases veterinary medicine and the biomedical sciences. Pre-requisite: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Reproductive health conditions - including HIV/AIDS - are a leading cause of death and illness in women worldwide (15-44 years of age). This course introduces the student to the challenges that perpetuate high rates of maternal, reproductive, and sexual health morbidity and mortality among women and girls worldwide. We will analyze not only the health conditions that drive this morbidity and mortality in low and middle-income countries—such as complications of pregnancy (unsafe abortion, maternal hemorrhage), HIV/AIDS, cervical cancer, gender-based violence, and harmful traditional practices--but also the respective health system and structural barriers that limit access to quality health services and contribute to the vulnerability of women and girls in different low-resource settings.
The course emphasizes participatory learning: Using a Journal Club structure, students will discuss, dissect, and debate relevant research papers - primarily through student-led discussions. Students will gain a greater understanding of the role of research in contributing to health advocacy, policy, and programming in the U.S. and internationally and evaluate the effectiveness of different research designs and interventions. Working in small groups, students will iteratively formulate their own research question and proposal to address a reproductive health outcome of interest to them.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
The Public Health Conference provides students with the opportunity to delve deeper into public health topics presented at the annual Public Health Research Day at ISMMS. Students will be required to attend and be active participants during the full day of events, which includes a keynote lecture, oral presentations, and a poster session. Academic requirements include a topic summary for one aspect of the conference and a conference evaluation.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course provides a comprehensive overview of regression methods for analysis of categorical (binary and count) data and survival data, with applications to epidemiological and clinical studies. Topics discussed include logistic regression analysis, log linear model for contingency tables, Poisson regression, and survival regression. The emphasis is on concepts and application rather than on underlying theory. As mathematical results are presented without proof, students are not required to be proficient in calculus or matrix algebra.
Pre-requisite: MPH0812 Applied Linear Models I
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 2
Matriculated students must either register for at least one credit-bearing course or register for “Maintenance of Matriculation” for every term up until graduation. Maintenance of Matriculation allows students continued access to essential academic and student services such as access to the ISMMS network and email; however students on Maintenance of Matriculation status will not be eligible for financial aid. Students with compelling circumstance who wish not to maintain their matriculation status but need to discontinue their studies for a period of time can apply for a Leave of Absence from the program (see Leave of Absence and Withdrawal section). The Maintenance of Matriculation fee is $500 per academic semester or $333 per term for students in programs on trimesters
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Public health surveillance is the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data to prevent and control disease. This course will introduce students to local, national and global surveillance systems, including NHANES, BRFSS, NYC Community Health Survey. Through class lectures, demonstrations and lab assignments students will link health data to public health practice. The course is a requirement for students in the Health Promotion Disease Prevention track.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Students will learn to design an evidence-based and culturally appropriate public health program, in both US and developing country contexts. Specifically, students will gain competence in analyzing local needs and resources; developing an evidence-based and technically and programmatically sound causal pathway; articulating program objectives; designing relevant program partnerships and technical components; and designing the program's monitoring and evaluation plan, implementation plan and budget.
Pre-requisite: Completion of 1-2 terms in the Program.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 1
This weekly seminar focuses on current local, national, and international issues in public health and preventive medicine. Discussions center on critical review of new published literature in public health and include topics related to health policy, economic and legal issues, and the impact of these issues on the health of populations. There will be didactics on public health ethics, risk communications and preventive medicine research as well as critical review of enrolled student research or theses. On a rotating basis, each student is responsible for setting the agenda and chairing seminar discussions.
Pre-requisites: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Students who are not Residents in the Department of Preventive Medicine must receive permission from Course Director prior to enrolling in this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 1
This seminar is designed for second year students who will be completing a capstone for their Culminating Experience. These words are more than a paper - They are major independent projects that requires you to design, implement, and present professional work of public health significance. This course will help you design your Culminating Experience, start writing your works, and give and receive feedback from peers. The course is heavily interactive. We will work with materials provided primarily by the students. By the end of the term, you should be ready to complete your Culminating Experience. Pre-requisites: MPH0320 Research Methods or MPH0720 Preparation for Global Health Fieldwork Students must have their Culminating Experience Statement of Support and Project Outline submitted to the Program Office before registering for this course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Health promotion involves the therapeutic use of lifestyle strategies, such as a predominantly whole food, plant-based diet, exercise, stress management, tobacco and alcohol cessation, and other non-drug modalities to prevent, treat, and reverse chronic disease. It is the practice of educating, equipping, and empowering individuals with the information and resources they need to protect their health and fight disease. This course offers the knowledge and skills recommended by a national panel of representatives from physician and health professional organizations as the basis for providing quality health promotion in lifestyle medicine services. Topics covered include the fifteen core competencies identified by the panel which focus on clinical processes, as well as a review of key modalities: nutrition, physical activity, sleep, coaching behavior change, tobacco cessation, managing risky alcohol use, and stress management/emotional wellness. The course provides basic grounding in the field of health promotion (HP) and in lifestyle medicine (LM), and focuses on practical skills for public health practitioners.
Pre-requisite: MPH0002 Public Health Surveillance
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
For students who matriculated in or after Fall 2017 The Applied Practice Experience provides the student with an opportunity to translate theory into practice within a public health setting. The Applied Practice Experience Proposal must be submitted to the Office of Public Health Practice for approval prior to the beginning the experience. Students who matriculated in the Fall 2017 term or later will register for MPH0092 to satisfy the fieldwork requirement. Pre-requisites: Applied Practice Experience Proposal ‚Students should complete at least 15 credits of MPH coursework before starting the Practicum.
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Spring 1
An Independent Study is an elective option, providing the student with an opportunity to delve more thoroughly into an area of public health of specific interest to him/her. An Independent Study Proposal should be submitted at least six weeks prior to the anticipated start of the proposed project/course of study. This is to ensure that the goals meet the overall objectives of the Master of Public Health Program before a student commits any time and energy. Approval, when granted, is conditional upon the student completing all of the outlined requirements. The student must submit a Postscript Report and request that the faculty sponsoring the Independent Study complete the Evaluation Form. Final credits are awarded at the end of the project by approval of the Program Director. Three credits are the maximum number of credits that may be awarded to any Independent Study. One credit represents approximately 45 hours of work. Please note that students will not receive any more than three credits for one project/course of study. Each student may complete no more than two independent study projects. An Independent Study must be a unique experience. Material covered during an independent study project should be highly targeted and not simply a review of the regularly offered coursework. Independent study projects should not be attempts to take MPH courses that are offered routinely during the academic year. Students should not expect an Independent Study project to exempt them from required courses without approval by the Specialty Track Advisor and the Program Director. Please see the Student Handbook for the full policy and procedures associated with the Independent Study option.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Students who are completing a First Author Manuscript or Capstone should register for MPH0097 Culminating Experience (students who are completing a Master’s Thesis should register for MPH0099 only). Students register for their Culminating Experience in their last term before degree conferral, while preparing to submit their First Author Manuscript or Capstone. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Students who are completing a Master’s Thesis should register for MPH 0099 in their last term before degree conferral, while preparing to submit their Thesis. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This course is an introduction to understanding; the competencies, roles and responsibilities of public health and health managers; health organizations, which are complex and changing in response to community needs and to changing environments; the skills required to establish and maintain organizational culture and organizational change; and talent and team management. Through readings, class discussion and the analysis of case studies, students, will have an opportunity to explore and identify key management and leadership challenges impacting public health and health; formulate and evaluate alternative solutions to problems; learn verbally and in writing to present analysis of managerial plans and proposals. The course will emphasize skill development in the management of mission, strategy, operations and the business aspects of health organizations.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Human resource management in health organizations and the relationship between HR, organizational strategy, and organizational behavior is the focus of this course. We will analyze human work behavior at the individual, interpersonal, team and organizational levels. Included are topics such as motivation, communication, group and team dynamics, leadership, decision-making, job and organization design, conflict management, organizational culture and identity, and organizational change. We will apply organizational behavior theory and explore the factors that affect behavior, performance, and job satisfaction of people working in organizations. The objectives of the course will be to understand the characteristics and processes of work organizations; to successfully develop management skills; to apply the skills of management and impact organizational behavior and performance.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
The intent of this course is to train future public health practitioners on the economic and political questions that emerge in the process of developing health systems. The various sessions during the course will review core economic principles applied to the role of governments, the private sector and the competitive marketplace. The course will provide an overview of traditional microeconomic theory and practice as applied to demand, supply, competition, monopoly, and social welfare. It will drill down on topics such as role of governments, private sector, market competition, government failure and market failure. Special sessions will be devoted to topics on clinical services, non-clinical services, the health care workforce, health financing, the health related manufacturing sectors (pharmaceuticals, medical technology and information technology) and leadership/health management. Special attention will be paid to the implication of the Covid 19 crisis for the economic function and performance of health care system and its major components. The major course output will be guided, semester-long exercises in analyzing and developing strategic development plans from a public health professional’s perspective to guide political and economic decision making. The focus on health systems is a concrete means to understand the more general competencies involved in the application of economic analysis, which include political, financial, technical and organizational skills. The course will link to the ongoing health care reform debate to help participants understand the underlying economic issues raised by the reforms.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring 1
According to Healthy People 2020, “Acts of violence are among the top 15 killers of Americans of all ages.” Once thought of solely as a criminal justice issue, violence prevention and intervention have been embraced as a major public health issue. The television drama, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU), claims to be “fictional” and states that their show “does not depict any actual person or event.” Yet many episodes strongly resemble real-life situations “ripped from the headlines,” with a few added twists and turns to enhance the plot! Students will view SVU episodes and read peer reviewed articles to guide interactive discussions on the impact of violence over the course of the lifespan on health and wellbeing. Insights from this course will drive more thoughtful and informed practice when working with this important leading health indicator.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring 1
Substance abuse is epidemic across NYC and the country. Approximately 20.6 million people ages 12 and over struggle with substance abuse or addiction. Substance abuse is a public health crisis and touches the lives of children, adolescents, and adults across all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The course will explore the intersection of Substance Abuse and Public Health. Topics include substance abuse and mental illness, tobacco control, the epidemic of substance abuse in NYC, marijuana and teens, decriminalizing drug use, overdose in the ER, binge drinking on college campuses, environmental and genetic risk factors for opioid addiction, as well as other topics. This problem-based course will be seminar style with experts as well as an emphasis on exposure to recovering addicts coupled with evidence-based practice, policy, and research. Students may attend an AA or NA meeting. At the end of the course, they will present on a controversial area of addiction. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to: Assess the social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental factors that promote or prevent substance abuse in an individual or community. Design an intervention or program to prevent or manage substance abuse on a population level. Identify the behavioral and neurobiological effects of substance abuse
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Following a brief survey of the 3000 year history of insurance, the course will focus on health insurance and reform in this country before examining the variety of techniques used by managed care organizations and various national health systems to balance health expenditures, access and quality of healthcare. Through weekly Socratic-type discussions about contemporary healthcare controversies, the course will help develop students’ critical thinking about health policy alternatives and managerial decision-making. Feedback on short weekly essays, student presentations, and a final essay will help students improve their written and presentation skills.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Qualitative research involves the collection and rigorous analysis of observations, interviews, and other records of human activity so that we can come to a richer understanding of structures, processes, and perspectives that drive or shape human behavior, particularly when it comes to health. This course is designed to introduce students to qualitative research methods and will use a combination of didactic, interactive, and applied techniques to teach knowledge and skills relevant to qualitative research. The course emphasizes practical skills of qualitative research design, data collection (i.e., interviewing, focus group facilitation) and data analysis. By the end of the course students will develop skills in how to formulate appropriate qualitative research questions, determine which qualitative data collection method is most appropriate, collect qualitative data using interviews and focus group discussions, and analyze qualitative data. Students will be exposed to different styles of presenting qualitative research results and will consider different ways in which qualitative data is used in practice.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in specified populations, and the application of this knowledge to control health problems. This course will introduce students to concepts that guide the design and analysis of various epidemiologic study designs, including counterfactuals, confounding, effect measure modification, measurement error and bias, as well as practical considerations. In parallel with lectures and assigned readings, lab sessions will guide students through applications of these concepts, including constructing causal diagrams and using SAS software for epidemiologic analysis. Pre-requisites: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics Basic SAS proficiency
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
R is an open-source language widely used by epidemiologists to manage and clean data, carry out statistical analyses of epidemiologic data, and produce high-quality figures for research communications. This course will give students a solid foundation in the most important tools for performing epidemiology data analyses using R. Students will learn how to import data into R, merge datasets, clean and transform variables, visualize, and model population data. Emphasis will be given to modeling approaches for association estimates calculation such as beta coefficients, relative risks, and odds ratios using R. Students will be given hands-on training during class and work on an epidemiologic project using R. Prior programming experience is helpful but not necessary.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Mental health is a critical component for high quality of life. Poor mental health is in and of itself aversive, and can lead to poor physical health and in some cases even death. The purpose of this course is to develop understanding modern conceptualizations of mental health on a population level. This will be accomplished by: studying mental health within the context of its historical perspectives, providing foundational learning on the major classifications of mental health disorders and their impact on society, and providing insights into what is, and what factors lead to, “good” or positive mental health. Pre-requisites: MPH 0400 Introduction to Epidemiology
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This course focuses on the fundamentals of epidemiological methods specific to environmental and occupational health research. The course will provide students with an insight to appropriate study designs and methodologies to investigate health effects of environmental and occupational exposures in different settings. These include essential concepts involved in generating research hypotheses, as well as environmental and occupational health specific issues such as use of exposure biomarkers, exposure sampling and modeling of exposures, study design issues, confounding and other types of bias, and phenotyping issues as they relate to environmental and occupational factors. We will also review novel data analytic strategies unique to environmental and occupational health (e.g. exposure mixtures), the nascent field of exposomics, and the interpretation of the study findings and public health implications for environmental and occupational epidemiological research. The students will also learn the techniques for critical appraisal of environmental and occupational epidemiological studies. These are achieved through lectures with in-depth discussion of current research status on environmental and occupational epidemiology, readings, homework assignments, mid-term exam, hands-on statistical analysis workshops, and a final project.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This course provides an overview of important topics in environmental and occupational health. The classroom sessions will focus on the health effects of exposures arising from air, water, food, work, built environment, and climate change. Case studies, current events, and relevant public health data tools will be emphasized. Small group sessions will allow students to explore and interpret environmental health data and discuss this data in context of common environmental public health case studies. Applicable principles of risk communication, toxicology, environmental epidemiology, and preventive medicine, as well as fundamentals of occupational and environmental laws and regulation will be discussed. The course provides basic underpinnings of the theory and practice of environmental health, and provides a structural framework for thinking about the field as a public health discipline.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
The Racism and Public Health in the United States Course will provide an introduction to the history of racism in the United States and its impact on social determinants of health. The Course aims to provide a contextual framework for examining structural racism as one of the root causes of health disparities. The Course will provide an overview of how social determinants of health not only impact an individual's health outcomes but also have an impact on future generations. This Course will highlight long-standing racism and racist policies in the United States that have adversely impacted BIPOC communities. The Course will introduce students to the concepts of racism in healthcare, structural racism, individual racism, and interpersonal racism. The Course content will discuss how public health policies, their implementation, budget and funding, impact the social determinants of health. By examining the ways that social determinants of health are being conceptualized by epidemiologic and social science tools, such as fundamental cause theory, structural violence, intersectionality and capabilities frameworks, students will explore ways to operationalize these understandings into their public health research and program intervention strategies. The goal will be to shift the conversation from race to racism as the root cause of health inequities in the Black population. This Course will be conducted via a series of didactics, case discussions, guest lectures and group discussions as well as a round table conference of experts in the field. The students will also be encouraged to participate in a survey to discern their understanding of the subject matter. Students may be required to participate in focus groups to ensure that the Course is being conducted in a respectful environment which is fostering learning and growth.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This is an upper level global health course informed by the course director’s experience as advisor to the Director-General of the World Health Organization. This course will explore current public health and humanitarian crises and address the tensions between aid practitioners and academics, between countries and international agencies, health and human rights using historical and current case studies of outbreaks, armed conflict, natural disaster, and climate change. Students will develop critical thinking and hone written communication skills such as opinion pieces in order to inform and engage in public debate. How should international relief efforts respond to modern humanitarian emergencies that have become chronic, expensive, political and unpopular with governments increasingly focused on populism? In armed conflicts, how do officials delivering humanitarian aid ensure that assistance does not provide subsistence to warring factions? For the COVID-19 pandemic, are public-health officials striking the right balance in the global South between a reliance on technical innovations and the need to develop basic health care? This course will examine issues including the politicization of international response and the role of the World Health Organization and United Nations agencies and other international organizations.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Regression analysis is a widely used set of methods for exploring the relationships between response variables and one or more explanatory variables. This course provides an introduction to regression methods for a single continuous response variable. Both linear and curvilinear regression models are considered. Model assumptions, and regression diagnostics for assessing those assumptions, are explored in detail. Strategies for model selection are presented. The emphasis is on concepts and application rather than on underlying theory. As mathematical results are presented without proof, students are not required to be proficient in calculus or matrix algebra. Pre-requisites: MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring 1
This course provides students with the skills needed to utilize SAS systems for data management in order to prepare datasets for statistical analysis. In addition, procedures that are used to conduct basic statistical analyses and produce graphical output will be covered. Students will be given hands-on training using sample data provided by the instructor as well as (optionally) data from their own work. Recommended Pre-requisite: MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Climate change is not a single problem, but a lens through which to view myriad changes to our environment that will determine the future for humans on this planet. Changes to biodiversity, hydrological systems, land use, waste management, energy production, distribution of environmental toxicants; these and more are all part of the larger category of global environmental change. This course will focus on how global environmental change is affecting human health, presenting major challenges to physicians, scientists, institutions, governments and communities. There are solutions, and public health messengers must be informed to bring those solutions to the decision-makers in our neighborhoods and around the world.
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 1
Matriculated students must either register for at least one credit-bearing course or register for "Maintenance of Matriculation" for every term, up until graduation. Maintenance of Matriculation allows students continued access to essential academic and student services, such as access to the ISMMS network and email; however, students on Maintenance of Matriculation status will not be eligible for financial aid. Students with compelling circumstance who wish not to maintain their matriculation status but need to discontinue their studies for a period of time can apply for a Leave of Absence from the program (see Leave of Absence and Withdrawal section). The Maintenance of Matriculation fee is $500 per academic semester or $333 per term for students in programs on trimesters
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This introductory course will provide a broad overview of public health. We cover fundamental public health concepts to guide your studies and careers. A principal goal of the course is to give students an understanding of the function of public health as a powerful set of tools to improve the health and achievement of populations. Guest speakers include a diverse array of professionals from various disciplines to provide students with a sense of the breadth and depth of public health as well as a sense of the extraordinary range of career opportunities that exist in this dynamic field.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This course builds on the fundamental aspects of clinical prevention and the United States Preventive Services Task Force Guidelines. Designed for the healthcare professional, the course will include discussions about new evidence-based approaches that guide clinicians regarding the appropriateness and utility of new preventive services, screening tests, guidance for counseling patients, and an examination of current interventions at the community level, in addition to current controversies and research in the prevention field.
Open to medical students, trainees and other health professionals. Please request permission from Course Director prior to enrolling in this course
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Justice is a major concern in theoretical ethics and political philosophy and a huge literature is devoted to trying to explain just what it entails. In this course our aim will be to examine a broad spectrum of issues in medicine, medical research, and public health that raise questions about justice. In light of these critical examples, we shall review and critique an array of philosophical views on justice. Throughout the seminar we shall be engaged in two activities: (1) using clinical dilemmas and health policies as touchstones for developing a clear understanding of justice, and (2) developing an understanding of how theories of justice apply in different public health and medical contexts. By going from practice to theory and from theory back again to practice we shall advance our understanding of the theoretical literature as well as the requirements of justice in public health, medicine and other areas of the social world. This course will begin with an examination of the allocation of medical resources that raise questions about justice. It will then move on to examine contemporary work on justice and review of some theoretical work by authors who focus their attention on justice in medicine (e.g., Norman Daniels and Paul Menzel). As the seminar progresses, we shall develop an understanding of how the U.S. happens to have developed the mechanisms that we now have for the delivery of health care. We shall examine how medical resources are actually distributed here, elsewhere, and globally, and in various contexts. We shall consider ways in which those allocations do and do not express justice. We shall also explore some of the problems that become apparent when you attend to the special needs of social groups (e.g., the poor, children, women, the elderly, African-Americans) and examine dilemmas and conflicts that are raised by issues such as the treatment of premature and compromised neonates and resource allocations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course will apply fundamental concepts in public health practice to develop strategic plans for students' chosen topics. Students will develop project, program or policy interventions that are likely to succeed.
Key themes include engagement of populations, partnerships among stakeholders and sustainability. We emphasize evidence-based design: use what works, avoid what doesn't (and adapt when necessary). We will pair theory with practice in coupling seminar-style lectures with guest speakers representing expertise in various fields: community-based organizations (CBOs), foundations, government agencies and more.
Students in this course are expected to develop their own strategic plans. Although students are not expected to execute their projects during this course, they should have viable plans that predict success.
Pre-requisite: Completion of 1-2 terms in the Program.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Students will learn to design an evidence-based and culturally appropriate public health program, in both US and developing country contexts. Specifically, students will gain competence in analyzing local needs and resources; developing an evidence-based and technically and programmatically sound causal pathway; articulating program objectives; designing relevant program partnerships and technical components; and designing the program’s monitoring and evaluation plan, implementation plan and budget. Prerequisite: Completion of 1-2 terms in the Program.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course focuses on how mathematical models can be used to help inform public health decisions. Over the course of the semester, we will examine how the SAR-CoV-2 spread around the world. We will also explore what happened in the US, how our current disease monitoring structure is set up, and how it shapes our policies and decisions making on the local, state and federal in US. This is will be done with a goal of developing a mathematical model to make inference in high uncertainty situations. Prerequisite: MPH 0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This weekly seminar focuses on current local, national, and international issues in public health and preventive medicine. Discussions center on critical review of new published literature in public health and include topics related to health policy, economic and legal issues, and the impact of these issues on the health of populations. There will be didactics on public health ethics, risk communications and preventive medicine research as well as critical review of enrolled student research or theses. On a rotating basis, each student is responsible for setting the agenda and chairing seminar discussions. Pre-requisites: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics Students who are not Residents in the Department of Preventive Medicine must receive permission from Course Director prior to enrolling in this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
Students must have their Culminating Experience Statement of Support and Project Outline submitted to the Program Office before starting this course. This seminar is designed for second year students who will be completing a Culminating Experience (thesis, manuscript or capstone). These words are more than a paper - They are major independent projects that requires you to design, implement, and present professional work of public health significance. This course will help you design your Culminating Experience, start writing, and give and receive feedback from peers. The course is heavily interactive. We will work with materials provided primarily by the students. By the end of the term, you should be ready to complete your Culminating Experience. Pre-requisites: MPH0320 Research Methods
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
The training explores key concepts and principles of public health leadership, team work, and professionalism, including but not limited to effective communication, working effectively in interprofessionals teams, cultural competency, problem solving, negotiation and mediation skills. The purpose of the training is to practice the skills necessary to be effective leaders and advocate for public health solutions to complex problems in varying organizations and settings.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The Applied Practice Experience provides an MPH student with an opportunity to translate theory into practice within a public health setting. The Applied Practice Experience Proposal must be submitted to the Office of Public Health Practice for approval prior to the beginning the experience. Prerequisites: 1). Applied Practice Experience Proposal, 2). Students should complete at least 15 credits of MPH coursework before starting the Applied Practice Experience
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Fall
An Independent Study is an elective option, providing the student with an opportunity to delve more thoroughly into an area of public health of specific interest to him/her. An Independent Study Proposal should be submitted at least six weeks prior to the anticipated start of the proposed project/course of study. This is to ensure that the goals meet the overall objectives of the Master of Public Health Program before a student commits any time and energy. Approval, when granted, is conditional upon the student completing all of the outlined requirements. The student must submit a Postscript Report and request that the faculty sponsoring the Independent Study complete the Evaluation Form. Final credits are awarded at the end of the project by approval of the Program Director. Three credits are the maximum number of credits that may be awarded to any Independent Study. One credit represents approximately 45 hours of work. Please note that students will not receive any more than three credits for one project/course of study. Each student may complete no more than two independent study projects. An Independent Study must be a unique experience. Material covered during an independent study project should be highly targeted and not simply a review of the regularly offered coursework. Independent study projects should not be attempts to take MPH courses that are offered routinely during the academic year. Students should not expect an Independent Study project to exempt them from required courses without approval by the Specialty Track Advisor and the Program Director. Please see the Student Handbook for the full policy and procedures associated with the Independent Study option.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The Culminating Experience provides the student with an opportunity to synthesize, integrate and apply the skills and competencies they have acquired to a public health problem. Students may choose to complete a Thesis, First Author Manuscript or Capstone to satisfy the Culminating Experience. Students who are completing a First Author Manuscript or Capstone should register for MPH0097 Culminating Experience (students who are completing a Master's Thesis should register for MPH0099 only).
Please refer to the MPH or MS in Epidemiology Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
Students who have previously registered for the required credits for the MPH Culminating Experience, and who are approved by the Program to complete the MPH Culminating Experience in a full time manner in a term of their attendance at ISMMS may register for 0 credits of MPH 0098 Project Continuation. Registration is granted to students upon review of academic progress and approval by the Graduate Program in Public Health.
Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Students who are completing a Master’s Thesis should register for MPH 0099 in their last term before degree conferral, while preparing to submit their Thesis. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The recent introduction of the Affordable Health Care Act and further proposed reforms under the American Health Care Act has had and will continue to have a major impact on the delivery of healthcare in the USA. The course will review major trends in health care in the US and use a comparative health systems approach to explore reform options based on what has worked well and not so well in both the USA and other OECD countries like the UK, France Germany, Canada, and Australia. The course will explore each country’s geography and culture, the history of its health system, followed by a detailed analysis of evaluation of cost, quality, access and innovation. The courses is designed to be accessible by students of health administration, public health, nursing and other allied health professions. A major course output will be a guided, semester-long exercises in analyzing a health system. Students select a term project for expanding coverage for poor and vulnerable populations in a sample country of their choice. The course will use a health systems approach to strengthen more general competencies in the application of systems analysis, using political, financial, technical and organizational skills. The course will be particularly useful for students that may want to transition to a high level policy career or executive leadership and management role within health system.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course is will assist students in designing and implementing their capstone project. Students will examine the formulation and implementation of business strategies in health organizations, models of strategic management and change, and the role of stakeholders in the strategic management process. They will also review specific analytical tools used in strategy formulation and presentation. Prerequisite: Completion of first year in the Health Care Management track. This course is limited to students entering their second year in the Health Care Management track.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This core course provides an overview of the social and behavioral sciences and their importance in the interdisciplinary field of public health. A primary emphasis is on the social determinants of health, the social ecological model, its application to public health issues, and its use in the development of policies, strategies, interventions and programs. The course content will introduce students to several relevant social and behavioral theories as well as a range of community health assessment and planning models used by public health professionals in both domestic and international venues. In addition, some lectures will focus on social networks, social support and community capacity building. Finally, a few lectures are reserved to provide students with insight into public health policy and health outcomes. Through a series of assignments, students will enhance their knowledge and awareness of the role of social and behavioral sciences in public health and its relevance to their specific discipline.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) of women are integral to their overall health and wellbeing. According to the United Nations Population Fund (2021),”a woman who has control over her body is more likely to be empowered in other spheres of her life. A woman - or adolescent girl‚ - with little bodily autonomy is less likely to have control over her home life, her health and her future, and less likely to enjoy her rights.” Multiple theoretical frameworks will be presented to explore pertinent SRHR issues including body autonomy, gender identity and gender roles, LGBTQ health, women and Covid-19, gender-based violence and abortion. Special emphasis will be placed on discussing the impact of poverty, ethnicity, class and institutional racism experienced by many marginalized populations which may deprive them from seeking and obtaining adequate health information, access to quality health services and free to fully participate in the expression of their sexuality
This core course provides an overview of the social and behavioral sciences and their importance in the interdisciplinary field of public health. The course content will introduce students to several relevant social and behavioral theories of health, their application to public health issues, and their use in the development of policies, strategies, interventions and programs. Students will also learn how social hierarchies and disparities based on class, race/ethnicity, and gender intersect and influence the health and well-being of individuals and populations. In addition, some lectures will focus on social networks, social support and community capacity building. Through a series of assignments, students will enhance their knowledge and awareness of the role of social and behavioral sciences in public health and its relevance to their specific discipline.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course provides an overview of the linkage between health equity efforts and health literacy and communication. The course content will focus on the social determinants of health and how municipal, state, and federal policies influence downstream health. The course will familiarize GPM residents with NYC and East Harlem structural features and the community-based organizations that promote resilience. Students will appraise the role of health literacy in conveying health risk and participate in a workshop to create patient facing materials. In addition, some lectures will focus on incorporating community voices and different ways in addressing racism through clinical care. As part of the curriculum, residents will collaborate with the Mount Sinai Department of Health Education's Public Health and Racial Justice Program, an innovative education and empowerment program for youth of color aged 16-24 years. GPM residents will lead small group discussions with youth participants on training and careers in public health.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course provides an introduction to the principles underlying biostatistical methods and their application to problems in epidemiology, public health and clinical research. Students will learn about basic probability distributions, descriptive statistics, presentation of data, hypothesis testing principles, and the specific hypothesis tests and analytic methods for a variety of data types. These analytic methods will include t tests, chi-square tests, nonparametric tests, correlation, regression, and basic survival analysis methods. Students will have the opportunity to apply these methods to sample data both via direct calculation and using SAS statistical software. Each week, a one-hour laboratory session will reinforce material from lecture with additional examples and instruction in use of the SAS software. Methods for determining sample size and power for a variety of commonly used study designs will also be presented, as will measures of the accuracy of diagnostic and screening tests.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This is the online version of MPH 0300 Introduction to Biostatistics. This course is most appropriate for students with strong quantitative skills, those who are independent learners, and those who have previously taken a statistics course. No prior knowledge about statistics is assumed, however, and the online option is open to all.
This course provides an introduction to the principles underlying biostatistical methods and their application to problems in epidemiology, public health and clinical research. Students will learn about basic probability distributions, descriptive statistics, presentation of data, hypothesis testing principles, and the specific hypothesis tests and analytic methods for a variety of data types. These analytic methods will include t tests, chi-square tests, nonparametric tests, correlation, regression, and basic survival analysis methods. Students will have the opportunity to apply these methods to sample data both via direct calculation and using SAS® statistical software. Each week, a one-hour laboratory session will reinforce material from lecture with additional examples and instruction in use of the SAS® software. Methods for determining sample size and power for a variety of commonly used study designs will also be presented, as will measures of the accuracy of diagnostic and screening tests.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course meets on both Tuesdays and Thursdays. This introductory course focuses on the fundamental concepts of epidemiology and its application to the field of public health. The course will provide students with an insight to epidemiologic methods and how they can be used to study health outcomes in human populations. Students will learn the elements of epidemiology, such as causation, study design, measures of effect, and potential biases. Practical and theoretical training will include lectures, small group discussions, and readings.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This intermediate level Journal Club builds upon the Introductory Journal Club, training students in the presentation of articles relevant to the public health specialties of environmental, occupational and preventive medicine. Each student will be assigned a week to be responsible for selecting and presenting an article relevant to their area of specialization. The student may decide to invite a Mount Sinai faculty expert in the particular topic to provide additional commentary on the article. Prior to class, all students are required to read the article and complete a short critique form. All students are expected to participate in class discussions. Pre-requisites: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics Students must be currently licensed health professionals, however if they are not currently licensed they must obtain the approval of the Course Director to enroll. The Club meets once a month for the academic year. This course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The course will cover substantive and methodological issues in the epidemiology of chronic diseases, including cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and aging. Students will be presented with examples of descriptive and analytical epidemiology studies in each of these areas; aspects such as disease registration and its contribution to epidemiology research, estimates of attributable fractions, and preventive strategies will be also addressed. The course will complement the series of methodological courses offered within the epidemiology track, by providing a framework to incorporate research in chronic disease etiology and control.
Pre-requisite: MPH 0400 Introduction to Epidemiology, Pre-requisite/co-requisite: MPH0412 Epidemiology II
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This course is designed for second year MPH students in the Epidemiology track to provide direction and support for the development of their research proposal in preparation for the submission of the capstone project. To participate in this course, students must have identified a capstone advisor and a general area for their capstone project. Class activities will include: student-directed discussions of peer-reviewed journal articles in their capstone-related area of interest; presentations by MPH program graduates on his or her experience completing the capstone process; and student-prepared presentations of their capstone research proposal. Discussions about how to lead a productive journal club, issues related to preparing a good research proposal, and how to prepare effective PowerPoint presentations and other data-reporting formats will be part of the course experience. Outside readings will be assigned as appropriate for the in-class discussions/presentations. This course meets in the Fall and Spring I term. Fall registration only. Prerequisite: This course is restricted to second-year students in the Epidemiology Track.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The course will cover substantive and methodological issues in the epidemiology of cancer. Students will be presented with examples of descriptive and analytical epidemiology studies of the main types of cancer; aspects such as cancer registration and its contribution to epidemiology research, estimates of attributable fractions, the global burden of cancer, and preventive strategies will be also addressed. The course will complement the series of methodological courses offered within the epidemiology track, by providing an introduction to research in cancer epidemiology and control.
Pre-requisite: MPH 0400 Introduction to Epidemiology
Pre-requisite/co-requisite: MPH0412 Epidemiology II
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Humans come into contact with chemicals every day. The computer on which you’re reading this contains phthalates and brominated flame retardants - chemicals associated with endocrine disruption that are potentially carcinogenic. The fruits and vegetables we consume hold residual pesticides. Does this make them dangerous? How do public health professionals determine risk and how to best manage risk? Further, how do public health professionals communicate these risks in an evidence-based way to not falsely reassure or unnecessarily alarm people? This course introduces the major concepts in environmental exposure assessment and risk assessment - key topics for public health practitioners. Students will learn how common environmental exposures at home and in the workplace are identified and measured in different media (air, water, soil, consumer products) and how those data are used to characterize and quantify risk. The course will also cover basic risk management and communication, as well as strategies of effective risk communication with various stakeholders. The course will have traditional lectures, coupled with class discussions and activities to enhance learning of the topic and build practical skills for public health practice. Public health practitioners will be invited as guest lecturers to discuss how they conduct exposure assessments and/or risk assessments in their work as public health professionals. Students will complete several short assignments that integrate topics discussed in class through hands-on learning and online resources. The course will also include a final exam.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Environmental and occupational exposures known to cause human disease are examined from the public health framework of exposures and etiology, clinical diagnosis, and prevention. Regulatory and other approaches to prevent and reduce exposure will be discussed. Important public health and policy implications of workplace and environmental exposures will be examined. This course can fulfill the MPH 0500 Introduction to Environmental Health course requirement. The course is targeted toward those training or working in health care, and is limited to residents, physicians and medical students, except with the permission of the Course Director.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course provides an introduction to the major concepts and principles of global public health with particular emphasis on neglected populations. The course provides students with an understanding of the principles of health within the context of development, human rights, and globalization, and provides an appreciation of the pertinent challenges and controversies. Students will learn about the establishment of global health priorities, develop an appreciation for issues related to underserved populations, and learn about the major players in the global arena, including the challenges of financing. The course decolonizes global health education by rethinking institutional global public health partnerships and approaches. A multidisciplinary approach is used to discuss the major determinants of health and disease with particular emphasis on the relationship between health and socioeconomic development. Students will meet some experts in the field and are encouraged to engage in discussions of the most current and important global public health topics. By the end of the course, students will have been introduced to the most important players, challenges and variables of global health and their interactions. They will be prepared to advance to more specific and in-depth courses of the Global Health Track.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
“There is no health without mental health.” While millions of people struggle with mental disorders, sufferers in resource-limited areas receive little or no treatment. This course will describe how to strategically approach global mental health planning and implementation for scaling up mental health services within a public health framework. It will rely on a model known as the Wheel of Global Mental Health, which encompasses seven interdependent elements that together encompass the goals, resources, and dynamics integral to scaling up. Questions raised by the COVID-19 pandemic can also be expected to shape this year’s course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Human rights abuses are pervasive and have both obvious and subtle health consequences. They also need to be understood from different angles: how they affect individual health (including psychological health) as well as population and community health; how human rights abuses involve ethical, scientific, political, social, and cultural considerations; and how the field of public health can address human rights abuses in multiple ways, including advocacy and testimony, influencing health-related practices, education, documentation and accumulation of data. This course is designed to raise students' awareness of human rights abuses and their effects on health; to describe how human rights abuses adversely impact health; to introduce the epidemiology of human rights abuses; and to consider how disciplines within Public Health can address (and sometimes participate in) human rights abuses. The course covers the ethical and political foundations of Human Rights, how we know human rights abuses are occurring (especially the epidemiology of human rights abuses), and specific health ramifications of pandemics, torture, forced migration and disparities. In addition, public health implications of human rights abuses will be discussed around special topics: pandemic response, children, gender, human rights law, and the role of health care providers in human rights abuses (from overt examples of participation in torture and genocide to more complex realms where public health imperatives may conflict with human rights, as with some forms of public health surveillance).
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course provides an introduction to probability models emphasizing applications in medicine and biology. In addition to presenting basic probability theory and models, a variety of topics important in statistics will be covered, including: random variables; discrete and continuous probability distributions; conditional probability, joint probability, expectation and variance; independence; sampling distributions, combinatorics, and permutations.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This course provides students with the skills needed to utilize SAS systems for data management in order to prepare datasets for statistical analysis. In addition, procedures that are used to conduct basic statistical analyses and produce graphical output will be covered. Students will be given hands-on training using sample data provided by the instructor as well as (optionally) data from their own work. Recommended Co-requisite or Pre-requisite: MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
Matriculated students must either register for at least one credit-bearing course or register for "Maintenance of Matriculation" for every term, up until graduation. Maintenance of Matriculation allows students continued access to essential academic and student services, such as access to the ISMMS network and email; however, students on Maintenance of Matriculation status will not be eligible for financial aid. Students with compelling circumstance who wish not to maintain their matriculation status but need to discontinue their studies for a period of time can apply for a Leave of Absence from the program (see Leave of Absence and Withdrawal section). The Maintenance of Matriculation fee is $500 per academic semester or $333 per term for students in programs on trimesters